THE RAILWAY ACCIDENT AT DUNEDIN.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2185, 25 February 1881, Page 3

THE RAILWAY ACCIDENT AT DUNEDIN.

T Otago "Daily Times," February 24th.] From time to time, ever since the Southern railway was opened, fears have been expressed of the occurrence of a serious {accident at the railway crossing at Kensington. The railway authorities have frequently had representations made to them concerning this matter; and not long ago the Oaversham Council took steps to urge upon those authorities that more care should be taken, particularly at night; whilst, as will be known, only a day or two ago a letter appeared in our columns regarding a narrow escape from an accident there. What has been all along expeoted and feared has at last happened. Last night a cab was run down by a train, and ' the result of the collision will probably be the death of, at least, one pasienger, and serious and permanent injury to others. The facts of the affair are these. The aooident occurred about eight o'clock. A two-home cab we.B then coming from the St. Kilda direction citywards. It contained six passengers, along with the driver—four inside and two out. We understand that these passengers had been out at the raoeoourse, where they had been making arrangements for opening booths at to-day's meeting. The cab appears to have approached the crossing without slackening pace in any way. The train approaching was a goods one frfim Walton Park, driven by H. Atkins, and. the guard of whioh was J. Redpath. Atkins whistled before arriving at the crossing. There is no doubt of this, as people on the road heard the whistle plainly. There are several houses on each side of the road approaohing the crossing from St. Kilda, so that the view of the line is hidden from the road and vice versa. The result was that the cab was struck by the train with great force, and turned completely round—one of the two horses being killed immediately, the other being cut about the legs. The driver of the cab was named Keys. He was considerably knocked about, but his injuries are not serious. The passeugers were as follows : Henry Mayo, formerly a hotelkeeper in Invercargill, and for some time landlord of the Robert Burns, George street, Dunedin; Charles Armstrong, the well-known landlord of the Union Hotel in Stafford street ; Lloyd, an employe of Mr Armstrong, and lately _ cook at Watson's Hotel; Fairbairn, a waiter, also employed by Mr Armstrong, we believe; Edward Lyons, a waiter; and Griffith Roberts, who for a short time recently was licensee of the Caledonian Hotel, in Walker street. The whole of these were taken to the hospital. Mr Mayo was the principal sufferer. He had his skull severely fractured, and sustained other serious injuries. At an early hour this morning we learnt that no hope was entertained of his recovery, Lloyd is severely injured in the baok, but the full extent of the injury has not yet been ascertained. Fairbairn was badly hurt about one foot, and two or three of his toes will have to be amputated. Mr Armstrong, Edward Lyons, and G. Roberts were heavily shaken, but are not believed to be hurt beyond a few small bruises. The driver Keys has been on the St. Kilda road for a number of years, and was accounted a careful steady driver. No signalman was employed at the crossing after the arrival of the Invercargill train, the due time of which at Kensington is within a minute or two of seven o'clock. He had therefore left the crossing about an hour when the accident happened. No doubt a thorough inquiry will ba held into the whole circumstances of the case. We are assured that the railway authorities are in no way required by law to keep a signalman at such crossings at all. The publio are expected to be cautious and watohful, and engine-drivers are bound to give notioe of approach by whistling, a requirement that appears to have been carried out in this instance. The whistle however at this place is not easy to hear, as approaching from St. Kilda, as we have said, buildings line the road, and interfere with the sound.